ESPN makes the case for, and against, Georgia being the No. 1 team in the country

ESPN makes the case for, and against, Georgia being the No. 1 team in the country

By:
Connor Riley DawgNation

Published:
October 09 2019 4:08 PM

In the latest
AP and Coaches Poll, Georgia sits as the nation's No. 3 team. The Bulldogs are 5-0 on the season, with the best victory being a 23-17 home win
over No. 9 Notre Dame. The Bulldogs are the only team in the country that currently has a win over a top-10 team.

But should the Bulldogs be ranked even higher? Georgia has the No. 5 run defense in the country and Notre Dame is the only
game that has been within three touchdowns. The Bulldogs already have two SEC road wins albeit those have come against Tennessee
and Vanderbilt.

ESPN listed the reasons for and against every top unbeaten team being ranked in the top spot. And ESPN's Chris Low said that Georgia's
star power on offense is a big reason why the Bulldogs could make a compelling case for being the nation's top team

"Junior quarterbackJake Frommpersonifies poise and has been on a ton of big stages, and Georgia's defensive line is particularly
talented and athletic and is only going to get better," Low Wrote. The Dawgs are the only team in the nation that has not
allowed a rushing touchdown this season. The grind-it-out win over Notre Dame says a lot about the physicality of the Dawgs,
whose ability to run the football is always a nice perk in key games. Junior running backD'Andre Swiftis averaging nearly
7 yards per carry."

In addition to having the SEC's best-run defense, the Bulldogs have the best rushing offense in the conference as well. And
while Fromm isn't lighting up the scoreboard like Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Fields and Joe Burrow are at the moment, Fromm has
yet to turn the ball over for Georgia.

However, the Bulldogs aren't a perfect team, nor do they have a perfect resume. Other than the Notre Dame win, Georgia's schedule
has been very suspect to this point. Georgia has also dealt with injuries along the offensive line and in the defensive backfield.
While none of those injuries are expected to be serious or long-term injuries, the absences of Tyson Campbell and Solomon
Kindley might affect the cohesion among those two position groups.

Low also brought up Georgia's wide receiver core, which was a major concern at the beginning of the season, as a reason Georgia
might not be the No. 1 team in the country. Lawrence Cager is the team's leading receiver at the moment as he's scored a touchdown
in three straight games for Georgia. Georgia has also gotten contributions from the likes of George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock
and Demetris Robertson.

As for Georgia's schedule, it is going to get more difficult in the month of November. The Bulldogs open the month against
No. 7 Florida, then return home for a 4-1 Missouri team and then visit No. 12 Auburn on Nov. 16. That stretch will likely
offer the Bulldogs their best chance to impress the College Football Playoff committee to go along with the Notre Dame win.

Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country at the moment, with Clemson at No. 2 and Ohio State tied with Georgia at No. 3 in
the AP Poll. LSU who takes on Florida this weekend sits at No. 4.

Georgia is a heavy favorite once again this weekend, as the Bulldogs host South Carolina at 12 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.